Bottle construction



May 8, 1956 H. BLACKSTONE 2,744,646

BOTTLE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 16, 1954' .z BY

ATTO R N EYS United States Patent BOTTLE CONSTRUCTION Henry Blackstone, Northport, N. Y.

Application July 16, 1954, Serial No. 443,889

9 Claims. (Cl. 215-11) My invention relates to a nursing bottle construction and has for its object the provision of means whereby air may be vented to a radially offset location near the bottom of the bottle so as to assure against interruption of flow in use.

It is a specific object to provide, in conjunction with such a structure, means whereby orientation of the bottle may be maintained to keep the vent above the level of the fluid.

Other objects and various further features of novelty and invention will be pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In said drawings, which show, for illustrative purposes only, preferred forms of the invention:

Fig. l is a view in perspective of a nursing bottle incorporating features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating details of the construction of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating a modification;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, in partial section, of a part shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a further modification.

Briefly stated, my invention contemplates an improved nursing-bottle construction in which a breather pipe may provide air venting to the space over the fluid level and in which means are provided for more reliably assuring proper orientation of the breather pipe. The arrangement is such that eye-catching means carried by the bottle and appropriately placed with respect to the location of the breather pipe will cause an infant user necessarily to hold the breather pipe upright and to improve his feeding habits.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, my invention is shown in application to a nursing bottle having an opening at one end. Closure means, including a nipple 11, are removably carried at the open end, and in the form shown a separate closure cap 12 is connected to the bottle by threaded means 13; when so connected, cap 12 securely clamps a flange 14 on the nipple against the longitudinal end of the bottle. The nipple 11 is preferably substantially on the axis of the bottle. To permit a smoother flow of fluid when in use, a breather pipe 15 vents air to the space above the fluid level suggested at 16 in Fig. 1. The breather pipe may be a stainless-steel tube passing through the nipple or closure means and retained by a flange 17, while the lower end thereof preferably projects as near as feasible to the juncture of the bottom of the bottle with the wall. Preferably, the bottom of the breather is radially outwardly bent, as at 18, and it opens facing one location on the periphery of the bottle wall.

In accordance with the invention, eye-catching means are provided at a unique angle of location about the bottle, so that the infants attention will be held and so 2,744,646 Patented May 8, 19,56

that the end 18 of the breather pipe will be properly oriented in use. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the eye-catching means is a radially outward projection 20 carried by the closure means, and this projection may be removablycarried by the closure gap 12 or integral therewith, as shown. The eye-catching means 20 may be of any shape, but is preferably of a bright color; in the form shown, a simple animal head is fashioned at 20.

In the forms shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the eye-catching projection 25 is carried by the bottle 10 at a location remote from the closure means 12. In fact, the projection 25 may be integrally formed with circumferentially extending resilient means 26 frictionally embracing the periphery of the bottle. The circumferentially extending means 26 in Figs. 3 and 4 constitutes the rim of a cup having a bottom 27 to fit snugly against the bottom of the bottle. If desired, radial projections or legs 28 may be carried by the circumferentially extending means 26 at angularly spaced locations generally opposed to the location of the eye-catching projection 25. The legs 28 will be appreciated as serving the function of resisting an inadvertent overturn of the bottle.

In Fig. 5, I show a slight modification in which the circumferentially extending means 26 is a simple band of yieldable material, again formed integrally with the eyecatching projection 25 and, if desired, with steadying legs 28'. The device of Fig. 5 may be slipped over the wall of the bottle and longitudinally positioned as desired in order best to steady the bottle and to catch the eye of the infant.

It will be appreciated that I have described a simple means for improving the ability of an infant to hold a bottle without supervision and at the same time to provide such diversion as will improve the feeding habits of the infant. My improvement may be applied to conventional bottle constructions. If desired, the interest factor may be enhanced by so devising the eye-catching projection 20-25 or 25' that it may be readily flexed and become an object of play, as will be understood.

While I have described the invention in detail for the preferred forms shown, it will be understood that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

I claim: I

1. In combination, a nursing bottle having an opening at one end, nipple means removably secured to said end, a breather pipe communicating through said nipple means to the, exterior of said bottle and extending substantially to the remote end of said bottle and opening close to one angular location on the internal wall of the bottle, and an eye-catching projection carried by said bottle remote from said nipple means and projecting radially outwardly of said bottle substantially at the angular location at which the breather pipe opens on the inside of the bottle.

2. The combination of claim 1, in which said eyecatching projection is carried by circumferentially extending means resiliently embracing a part of the periphery of the bottle.

3. The combination of claim 2, in which the circumferentially extending means is a continuous band of yieldable material.

4. The combination of claim 2, in which said circumferentially extending means is the rim of a cup-shaped member resiliently embracing the base of the bottle.

5. The combination of claim 2, in which two further projections are carried by said circumferentially extending means and project generally radially outwardly therefrom at angularly spaced locations substantially opposed to the location of said eye-catching projection.

6. In combination, a nursing bottle having an opening enemas at one end, closure means for said end, said closure means including a nipple located substantially on the axis of the bottle, and a breather pipe passing through said closure means at a location radially offset from said nipple and extending to a radially otfset location near the bottom of the bottle, both said radial ofisets being on the same side of the bottle axis, and" eye-catching radially projecting means carried by said closure means predominantly on the side of the bottle in the direction of which said breather pipe is ofiset.

7. The combination of claim 6, in which said eyecatching projection is integrally formed with said closure means.

8. The combination of claim 6, in which said closure means comprises a cap removably securaole to said bottle and in which said nipple is retained by said cap.

9. In combination, a nursing bottle having an opening at one end, nipple means removably securable over said open end, a breather pipe communicating through said nipple means to the exterior of the bottle and open within said bottle only near the bottom of said bottle and at a point radially offset from the axis of the bottle, and an eye-catching display device carried by the bottle and radially outwardly extending to an extent exceeding the maximum peripheral limit of the bottle and predominantly on that one side thereof which corresponds to the offset of said breather pipe; whereby, when an infant places the nipple means in his mouth and inspects said eye-catching display device, said breather pipe will be properly oriented to vent fluid discharge through said nipple means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,096,585 Hooter Oct. 19, 1937 2,196,870 Little Apr. 9, 1940 2,365,585 Paxman Dec. 19, 1944 2,544,594 Goldfarb Mar. 6, 195i 2,546,122 Goldfarb Mar. 20, 1951 

